Connie Mack's debate dodge

6/18/12 12:52 PM EDT

It’s hard to think of a Senate candidate who’s gotten rougher treatment from the media this year than GOP Rep. Connie Mack.

But it’s probably going to get worse as a result of his stance on debates.

The Tampa Bay Times reports today on his refusal to participate in any before the Aug. 14 GOP primary — the Mack camp argues that by virtue of his current lead in the polls, the nomination is essentially his and thus Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson is his opponent.

He’s really pushing his luck.

Front-runners frequently seek to avoid debates, but it’s not as if Mack’s running against a bunch of no-names — his opposition includes former Sen. George LeMieux, former Rep. Dave Weldon and retired Army Col. Mike McCalister, who won 10 percent in the 2010 governor’s race.

While none of them have been able to get much traction to date, Mack’s position is still risky for a field with that kind of candidate depth and his own limitations as a candidate. It’s hard to argue that the opposition isn’t viable and the approach simply fosters the impression that the congressman is employing a Rose Garden strategy for fear of screwing up.

Worse, it creates a narrative that Mack has a Rick Perry problem, and it incentivizes the media to scrutinize him even more — not a great idea in a state with 10 media markets and several strong daily newspapers.